


in the depths of my soul (you shine through)

by hquties (timelessidyll)



Category: Fire Emblem Heroes, Fire Emblem Series
Genre: Evolution of their relationship, M/M, Strangers to Lovers, based off the partner system thing, you know the thing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-24
Updated: 2018-06-24
Packaged: 2019-05-28 00:44:59
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,227
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15036965
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/timelessidyll/pseuds/hquties
Summary: In which Marth and Ephraim find each other more than a little intriguing.





	in the depths of my soul (you shine through)

**Author's Note:**

> this is over a year old and i'm only posting it to get it out of my wip drafts bfdnvjhdfv please forgive me.

Marth stared in amazement as the summoning ritual commenced, releasing a puff of dust before unleashing a blinding light. His eyes closed involuntarily at the sudden influx of light, but he still heard a muffled cry of happiness come from the Summoner over the whoosh of the opening portal. When the red of his eyelids disappeared, Marth opened his eyes to see a figure bleed out of the light and dust, flashes glinting off his armor like stars. The man walked out confidently, scanning the crowd that Marth was in.

 

“I am Ephraim of Renais, a prince and a skilled spearman. So, point me at my enemy. I’ll get to work.” The new Hero, Ephraim, spoke in a clipped manner, aloof and distinguished. Marth furrowed his brow slightly in disapproval. He might not mesh well with the team. Suddenly, a grip on his arm yanked him forward, and he stood in front of the rest of the Heroes in their barracks alongside his three unit team. The Summoner released his arm and smiled invitingly at Ephraim.

 

“Well I, for one, am very glad that you came to join us Prince Ephraim.” Marth didn’t miss the flattery the Summoner had used on that phrase, and by the expression on Robin’s face, he hadn’t either. “We need a tank to plow through the most difficult enemies, and you are precisely what we were looking for.” Ephraim raised his eyebrows at the demanding request.

 

“I suppose I did say I would fight for you. Very well, I will assist your team.” He took that as his cue to begin their introductions.

 

“Welcome, Prince Ephraim. We are pleased to have you join our team.” Marth inclined his head to show respect to the prince. “I am Prince Marth, beside me is our field tactician, Robin, and Princess Sakura is our healer.” Ephraim copied Marth’s nod, turning once again to the Summoner.

 

“Is there anything else I must be informed about?” They thought for a moment before shaking their head.

 

“No, your team can answer any questions that you may have. You are all free to retire back to the barracks.” The Heroes gathered around them dispersed, leaving them alone. Marth glanced at Sakura, who looked incredibly uncomfortable having nothing to talk to their newest member about.

 

“Sakura, you are free to leave as well. We were only going to bring Prince Ephraim to the barracks to allow him to rest.” Relief crossed the priestess’ face, and she nodded before turning away to leave with the others. The three of them watched her leave before turning to each other once again.

 

“I apologize for her silence. She’s simply a shy individual.” It was Robin who spoke this time. Oddly, Ephraim gave a small smile. Marth stared at the curve of his lips. It was surprisingly distracting.

 

“I took no offense. It’s refreshing to have such a calm group of individuals around me. The people I knew were rather energetic, and the only calm one of us saw me as an enemy.”

 

“And why was that?” Robin questioned.

 

“He was very much intent on gaining my sister’s hand in marriage, and thought that the reason she kept rejecting him was because he was not stronger than me.” The prince smirked at this. “Little did he know that she was already in a relationship with his sister.” At this, both Marth and Robin stifled their laughter. They hadn’t laughed so freely in a while, and having a blunt new addition to their team seemed to be proving beneficial. A new light crossed Ephraim’s eyes.

 

“You said you were Prince Marth, correct?” He sobered up again, nodding in confusion.

 

“Interesting. I believe I’ve heard of you, Hero-King. I will be looking towards fighting by your side.” With that, Ephraim asked Robin to lead him to his barrack, leaving Marth alone to puzzle out the importance of Ephraim’s question.

 

* * *

 

Every day at sunrise, the Heroes who were present in the barracks joined together in the expansive training area to practice their skills. Almost a month had passed since Ephraim had joined their team, and their skills had meshed well. Being the only two infantry units, they had to watch for each others’ weaknesses. As such, they were normally paired up by the Summoner to duel with other Heroes as a way to hone their skills. He was surprised when things went a different route.

 

“Marth, I’m going to have you and Ephraim spar. It’ll be good practice to see how evenly your skills are matched, and an opportunity to share techniques. Your partnership relies on each other, after all.” They looked all too proud of themselves, but to be fair, the upper half of their face was concealed in the shadows cast by their hood.

 

“If you say.” The Summoner smiled wider.

 

“Wonderful! He went to the bridge for your spar, be careful not to drop anything over the edge, including yourself.” They hummed in happiness, and they parted ways and left for their respective destinations. The further he got from the training area, the quieter it got. Only the buzz of the forest around him made any noise.

 

As he approached the meeting point, Marth saw Ephraim’s figure leaning against one side of the bridge, facing the entrance of the bridge on the castle side. Upon seeing him, the spearman straightened up, and Marth broke into a light jog to get there quicker.

 

“Hello, Ephraim. Did I keep you waiting too long?” Marth asked the question in a teasing lilt, continuing their game. Ephraim returned a smirk.

 

“You did; however, you can certainly make it up to me by giving me a fight to remember. Just know, I don’t pick fights I can’t win.” Marth only smiled in response before slipping Falchion out of its scabbard.

 

“Perhaps you will lose your first.” Their clashing weapons echoed along the expanse of the bridge, and Marth saw Ephraim grin before having his legs swept out from under him. He fell backwards, hitting the ground with his back and losing all of the air in his lungs, but still managing to roll away from where Siegmund struck the cobblestones. Struggling to regain his air, he climbed back to his feet, when suddenly there was a pressure against his breastplate, and he looked up. Ephraim was standing in front of him, casually pressing the point of his spear against Marth’s heart, looking like he hadn’t a care in the world with how satisfied his expression was.

 

“Next time, don’t charge a spear user head on. Wait until they’ve tried to attack you, then get under them and finish it off.” Marth raised his eyebrows in confusion that Ephraim was giving him advice. The other took it as an indication that the swordsman hadn’t understood what he was trying to explain. “Our weapons are longer, giving us more range, but in very close combat they don’t work well. It’s like you against a thief in close quarters. A dagger can do more damage because it can hit you at a smaller range.” He dropped Siegmund from Marth’s breastplate and stepped back. “Do you want to try again?”

 

Marth blinked, bringing himself back to reality from where he was thinking about how much more tactical Ephraim was than he believed him to be. Just as Ephraim had, he stepped back and levelled Falchion again.

 

“Of course.”

 

* * *

 

The night was buzzing with the laughter of Heroes feasting in victory. In honor of once again foiling the Embla Empire’s plans, Sharena had convinced Anna and Summoner to throw a party for everyone’s hard work. Alfonse was holed up in his office, however, trying to find any connections between Zacharias’ disappearance and Prince Bruno’s arrival, and the party was as much of a celebration as it was a distraction. Ephraim had slipped away from the rest of the group a while ago, and Summoner had gotten increasingly worried until they asked Marth to search for him. After searching for almost twenty minutes, Marth found himself worrying as well. He hadn’t seen any sign of the Renaisian in any of the barracks, the training grounds, or even hiding in the stables. He was beginning to get discouraged when he saw the glint of armor at the base of a cliff. His heart sped up.

 

When he broke out of the forest to stand next to the discarded armor, he saw Ephraim sitting at the top, dangling his legs off the edge. He let out a shuddering breath, suddenly terrified of what the thought of Ephraim dying had done to him. He refused to think about that right now.

 

Ephraim didn’t even blink when Marth sat down beside him, the only sign that he knew the swordsman was there being a quiet hum that he began. Neither said a word, staring at the sky until Ephraim saw a shooting star light a fleeting beacon in the sky. A small smile curved his lips up, just the slightest bit, and he knocked his shoulder against Marth’s to get his attention.

 

“Make a wish.” When all Marth did was look at him in confusion, Ephraim gestured at the sky. “There was a shooting star. If you make a wish on one, they say it’ll come true. Of course it’s superstition, but it’s still fun to do.” A soft sound of surprise escaped Marth.

 

“I didn’t know that.” He turned away to look back up at the sky, running through possible things to wish for. He didn’t notice the look Ephraim had on his face – a combination of sadness and wistfulness. “I became the king at a young age. I don’t consider myself one, truthfully, but that is my official title, as far as the court is concerned. When my father died, I was naive and had lived a sheltered life until then. I wasn’t in an shape to kill anyone, or lead an empire, so I was forced to flee until I was capable. I suppose that’s what truly made me ask everyone to call me a prince. The fact that I had to flee until I learned what it took to fill my father’s shoes. And even though I lived a sheltered childhood, it wasn’t the childhood most would envy to have, and I never learned of the games that others played.” He smiled bitterly thinking of how he had to spend his days being tutored from sunrise to sunset, sword-fighting and politics and various art forms back to back.

 

“I can understand that, to some extent,” Ephraim replied after taking some time to mull over Marth’s words. “I can’t say I’ve been through your loss, because I still had Eirika with me. But it was still lonely. I’m grateful to the people who supported me while Eirika and I attempted to restore peace.”

 

“I am too.” They didn’t speak after that. Eventually, the sky began to lighten, and with aching eyes and limbs heavy with the exhaustion that came from a sleepless night, Marth waited for Ephraim to gather his armor. Silently, they walked back to the barracks.

 

* * *

 

Marth didn’t have to turn around to know that Robin was staring at him with that self-satisfied smirk on his face. It was the only expression the tactician had given him since Ephraim had proposed, as if he was trying to drag out his victory as long as he could. After holding out for three months, he had to finally give in.

 

“Ok, fine, you called it. You knew even before I did, are you satisfied with yourself?” Robin hummed in agreement.

 

“Very much so, thank you. Now, am I going to be your best man or not?” Even after he’d admitted his defeat, the smirk Robin gave him didn’t go away.

 

“With that smug look, no, you’re not. It’ll be awkward, but I’ll just ask Chrom,” he said, pointing at the other threateningly. Robin didn’t take him seriously and snorted at his bluff.

 

“As if. I was the one who made you ask him out, and I was the one to help Ephraim plan the proposal, so I deserve that title more than anyone.” The scowl on Marth’s face meant the prince knew it too.

 

“Maybe if you weren’t acting like such a child, I would be much more inclined to agree,” he bit back, hardly putting any insult behind his retort. Robin laughed out loud and came over to hand Marth his jacket. It was a more embroidered, heavier version of his normal cape, complete with silk arms and golden thread woven into the sea of blue.

 

“Ready?” he was asked after he’d put it on, glancing in the mirror one last time. His head felt heavy without the crown he always had on, but that was alright. It wouldn’t be for much longer.

 

“I can’t bring Falchion?”

 

“Marth, we’ve been over this. It’s a wedding ceremony, not a battlefield.”

 

“You never know.” Robin gripped his arms, careful to keep the cloth from getting wrinkled.

 

“You’ll be fine. You’re getting married, Marth, so try to relax.” Beyond the room, beyond the wedding hall, the bells began to toll. “And that’s your cue. Come on.”

 

When he saw Ephraim at the altar, waiting for him with the biggest smile Marth had ever seen on his face, he thought that all of the nervousness truly was worth it.


End file.
